A Year of Blogging: October 7, 2011

October 7 is 'World Smile Day'. It's time to show your pearly whites to the world! Interestingly enough, while reading about this day, I found that the smiley face as we know it (that bright yellow smiling face) was created in the 1960's (although by whom is still uncertain). How did you express a smile before that? I guess you did it the old fashioned way: face to face. Now many of us use the computer smile :) . I have to admit, I think I'm addicted to the computer smiley face. If someone writes something on Facebook or in an email that physically brings a smile to my face, I express it with a computer smiley face. It's not a fake expression, although I worry some people might think it is. It's a genuine reflection of what I am currently feeling. I haven't always smiled. There were those years that I had braces, for instance, when I didn't smile. At least not a smile that revealed my teeth. After the braces came off, my teeth looked like horse teeth, so I didn't smile much for a while. I remember one of my high school friends writing in a yearbook that my smile lights up the room. I thought it was the nicest thing anyone ever said to me. And 20 years later, I still remember that comment. Erich had to do an exam on me the other day for his homework assignment. One of the things he had to do was check my smile and frown. I couldn't frown. It was just too hard and too goofy to try. Finally I thought of something that irritated me and tried that. He thought it was odd that I couldn't frown. Today is the day to let your smile shine! See if you can light up your own corner of the world. It is so much easier to smile than it is to frown.

A Year of Blogging: October 6, 2011

October 6 is 'Come and Take It' Day. Come and take it should not be confused with come and get it. If someone says "come and get it", they are offering you something. Such as, "Dinner's ready, come and get it!" If you were to come and take dinner, you might be stealing dinner instead of being invited to have some. Which makes me wonder- is Come and Take it day an open invitation to steal? If you are taking it just because you can, I think that borders on stealing. I don't know. Maybe this is a gray area. For sure, if you took money from a store because the cash register is open, that is stealing. I would just advise you to be very careful on this day. Taking something without an invitation might lead to trouble. And I don't know that you could get away with saying 'But today was come and take it day!' On a somewhat related note, October 6 is 'Mad Hatter' Day. The Mad Hatter is a character in 'Alice & Wonderland' who is always acting crazy. So today is a day to be silly. The Mad Hatter wears a top hat. The front of his hat has a slip of paper that says '10/6' so it makes perfect sense that October 6 would be Mad Hatter's Day. Unless you consider that Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was written by a British author, so he would have written his dates with the day first, then the month. Which would mean Mad Hatter's Day should have been on June 10. So you're about four months late celebrating.

A Year of Blogging: October 5, 2011

October 5 is 'Do Something Nice' day. I think it's kind of sad that we have to set aside a day for this. Doing nice things should be automatic, it should be something we do without thinking about. We shouldn't have to declare a special day so that everyone can do something nice. Or so that people can stop thinking about themselves for a day and do something for others. Maybe I'm antiquated in my thinking. I grew up believing in the Golden Rule "Do unto others as you will have done unto you". Hold the door open for the person behind you, and if someone holds the door open for you, say "thank you". Be kind to others. Help them. Be nice. You know, that whole 'be a good girl' thinking. As I think about this day, I think of things I've done in the past few days that would qualify as doing something nice. I didn't do them for any special reason, other than it seemed the right or nice thing to do. At the store the other day, there was an elderly lady sitting on a scooter by the store doors. The store doors are huge, and there is not a power door. I walked over to her and asked her if she needed help getting through the doors. She told me that she was waiting for a ride, but thanked me. How many people would have and did walk past her without even giving it a thought? Yesterday my coworker commented that she wanted chocolate, and I offered her a Reese's cup that I had in my purse. Tonight, even though I was exhausted, I made dinner and had it ready for Erich when he came home from school. I didn't do any of it for a reward, or because it was a 'holiday' to do it. It was just the right thing to do, or in the case of my coworker and the chocolate, at least brought a smile to her. I'm not trying to blow my own horn. I just think if we all tried to do a little more good in the world, maybe as a society we could be a little nicer. Look up from the phones and computers just for a little bit, and see what a difference you could make with just a small gesture. Maybe, then it won't be such a rarity to do something nice.

A Year of Blogging: October 4, 2011

October 4 was 'World Animal Day'. I had to do some research on this one. World Animal Day was started in 1931 by a group of Ecologists meeting in Florence, Italy. It was started to highlight the plight of endangered animals. It has grown since then to include animals of all kinds. October 4 was chosen as it is the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi who is the patron saint of animals. According to the World Animal Day website, www.worldanimalday.org/uk , it is a day to:

~To celebrate animal life of all forms ~To celebrate humankind's relationship with the animal kingdom ~To acknowledge the diverse roles that animals play in our lives ~To acknowledge and be thankful for the ways animals enrich our lives

I am an animal lover. I cry when animals are injured in movies. If I see a dog running loose I say a little prayer for it that their owners will find them quickly and safely. I cannot watch the ASPCA commercials. I can't stand the thought of animals being harmed. We didn't have pets when I was growing up. Mom and Dad used to have a German Shepherd named Sargent or 'Sarge' for short. Mom took him to obedience training, and because Dad was away a lot at night working on the snow plow, she had him trained as a guard dog. From the stories they told, he was an excellent guard dog, but he could also be a big puppy dog. When Mom and Dad sat down with a bowl of popcorn on Saturday night to watch TV, Sarge dragged his bag of kibble into the living room and munched with them. He was super protective of women, and when I came along, I became one of his charges. I was a baby when Mom and Dad got rid of Sarge. Grandpa Wager came to pick me up out of my playpen and Sarge locked his jaws around Grandpa's wrist. He didn't bite Grandpa, just held his wrist waiting for a command. Mom issued the release command, and no one was hurt. But my parents were terribly worried. What if he turned on me? They couldn't have that worry, so they called a family friend who had always loved Sarge. He came and took Sarge, and gave Sarge a great life. Sarge lived to be about 15 years old. After that, we didn't have pets. Dad said it wasn't fair to have a dog because we were not home a lot. I understand his reasoning. Now, my sister and I both have two dogs. My mother called the other night to find out what her grandpuppies wanted for their birthdays. The dogs are a big part of our lives now. They are a lot of work, but I love them. I love that I come home from a crappy day at the office and they are happy to see me. They don't expect anything other than pets, snuggles, and dog biscuits. Of course, they are even happier to get beef or chicken. At night they chase each other around the house and provide more entertainment than any sitcom. My life would be so lonely without the dogs. So today, as with every day, I am so thankful I fell for that adorable puppy 10 years ago.

A Year of Blogging: October 3, 2011

October 3 was 'Techie Day'. It's a day to appreciate and maybe even celebrate the IT department. They are the ones called when those of us less computer savvy people mess up our computers and see the blue screen of death. Of course, sometimes we call them for other purposes too. We have a 'Support' department at work. They fix the software and hardware problems. They grumble that they hate 'puters. I am fairly computer savvy, but I'm not a hardware person. There are times I do have to call tech support to fix my computer. I also am fortunate enough to have tech support at home. Erich is a techie. Although he's not a Windows guy. He prefers Linux (which I had never heard of until I met him). So if we have problems at home with the laptop, I usually go to work and ask our tech support for their ideas. Plus, they don't get as annoyed with me as Erich does. Somehow on the laptop, every once in a while I disable the touchpad. Which means you can't use the mouse. It's very annoying. I did it again the other night, and Erich had to come downstairs and figure out how to re-enable it. I was met with a lot of sighs and eye-rolling. October 3 was also 'Virus Appreciation Day'. Which seems odd. We don't want to appreciate viruses, they are evil. It's not clear if the viruses we are supposed to be appreciating are human, animal, or computer. But it makes you think perhaps a techie created this day!

A Year of Blogging: October 2, 2011

October 2 was 'Name Your Car' day. I admit, I am a person who names her cars. I don't know why. My parents don't name their cars. If the car is acting up, or you're trying to negotiate slippery roads, they might say 'come on girl'. But they don't actually name their cars. I am on my fourth car. My first car was a 1981 Ford. The logo on the back of the car said it was a Futura, but on the side it said Fairmont. So I'm not sure what it was. It had been t-boned on the passenger's side and not completely repaired. My mother bought it for $900 when I was 14. She felt it would be a good car for me to learn to drive on. The perfect 'starter' car. You couldn't get into the passenger side, you had to slide across the driver's side. It had a bench seat in the front, and it took all of the strength of my sister and I to pull the seat up after Dad drove it. The car was a bomb. And I don't mean bomb in a good way! I called her (our cars are always girls, I don't know why) 'Bertha the Bomb'. Mom would not let me take my driving test on this car. She was afraid the instructor would deduct points for the car. When they had a layoff at Dad's work and he bumped back into the shop one summer, Dad drove Bertha to work. She lost the muffler going over the mountain one morning. Dad cut the seatbelts out of the backseat and tied the muffler together with the seatbelts. Which meant I could only have one person in the car with me- in the front seat. Most of the times, the carburetor flooded when you tried to start it. If I had to stop at a stop sign or red light, it stalled. One time, the only way to get it in gear was to put it in reverse, so I drove in reverse through town back home (good thing it was a small town!). Oh, I hated that car! I did not have Bertha long, and my parents wouldn't let me drive to school often. In November, 1992, Mom decided to get a new car. She bought a 1993 Ford Taurus Wagon, and gave the 1988 Taurus Wagon to me. In 1995, after my first year of college, they titled the old wagon to me and I took it to Indiana. The car had about 100,000 miles on it (maybe more) when I took it in 1995, when I got rid of it, she had 172,000 miles. Once the Taurus was mine, I named her 'Olde Faithful'. Because she was. She was dependable, sturdy, and you could haul anything in that wagon! The wagon was navy blue, at Dad's request. Prior to the 1988 Taurus, we had Dodges. Mom convinced Dad to go to Ford (her parents always drove Fords) and Dad's one request was to have a blue car. When Mom had the 88 Taurus, she had vanity plates (personalized license plates) with our last name on them. Our friends referred to the car as 'The Primeau-mobile'. I loved Olde Faithful so much that when I had to replace her, I looked at a station wagon. I was 24 years old, buying my first new car, and I wanted a station wagon. I went to the Ford dealer in town and looked at the Focus. They didn't have a single wagon on the lot, and I couldn't wait. Olde Faithful was dying quickly, I needed a vehicle. So I settled on a four door sedan, in a pretty emerald green. The Focus became known as 'Lil' Green' . At first, I loved the sportiness of Lil' Green. She was peppy and sassy and cheap on gas. Then the recalls started. I had so many problems with that car that I was counting down the months until it was paid off so I could buy a different vehicle. It also turned me away from Ford. And while the car was a little sporty and cute, I also got tired of buying something big at the store and asking them to hold it until Erich could come with the minivan to pick it up. Lil' Green was still running, so I took more time selecting my next vehicle. When I bought Lil' Green, the salesman talked to Erich, even though Erich told him 'she's buying it'. Erich is not your typical male. He is not the car person. In fact, of the two of us, I am the car person. So when I went shopping the next time, I didn't even take Erich. I did my research ahead of time, went to a car show and narrowed my options, and then went to the Toyota dealer. At the first dealer, I test drove a Rav4 that was loaded. I loved the car, but didn't need one with all those bells and whistles. The salesman would not listen to me, that I wanted a less souped up model. They also offered me pittance for my trade-in. I thanked him for his time, shook his hand (many thanks to Dad for teaching me to have a strong handshake even though I'm a female) and left. That was a Saturday. The next day I drove to another dealership in Cincinnati to test drive the Matrix, because I still hadn't settled on the Rav yet. I drove the Matrix and hated it. I wanted to make a deal on a Rav. But the salesman there wouldn't even talk to me about a Rav. And again, the amount they offered for my Focus was insulting. I knew how much I should get for the Focus. Once again I found myself shaking hands, saying thank you, and walking out the door. I was going to go home and I heard an ad on the radio for yet another dealer. I was most of the way there anyway, so I drove the few extra miles into Northern Kentucky. By this point, I knew what I wanted. I wanted a Blue Rav4 with four wheel drive, and I knew what I wanted for my trade. I walked in, and told the salesman I wasn't going to talk deal until they told me what they'd give me for my trade. Sometimes I wonder where this woman came from! I was so determined and confident. They looked at my trade, drove it, and gave me the amount I was hoping for. I knew we had a deal then! The dealer didn't have any blue Ravs in stock, but they assured me they could find me one. I made it a little easier for them and said I wouldn't care if it was Pacific Blue (the lighter blue) or Navy Blue. It took them about three weeks, but they found one. I didn't know what color my new car was until I arrived at the dealership to sign the papers. Turns out it was the Pacific Blue. While it seems like everyone (including my own parents) now have one just like it, I know I am far happier with this one than the Navy. My Rav is named 'Blue Baby'. I know, I'm getting less original with the names. We've gone from Bertha the Bomb and Olde Faithful to Lil' Green and Blue Baby. I'm not a diehard car naming person (or my cars would have much more spectacular names), but somehow they always end up with a name. Although I will say, Blue Baby is a little confusing, because sometimes Cobalt thinks I'm talking about him.

A Year of Blogging: October 1, 2011

Another flip of the calendar and we find ourselves smack dab in the middle of fall. The days are shorter and cooler. It's time for getting apples and pumpkins and raking leaves. I've been busy doing all kinds of things preparing for my upcoming vacation, so my blog has once again been neglected. October gives us a lot of things to celebrate. In the food arena, it is National Seafood month. If, like me, seafood isn't your thing, you could try popping some popcorn for National Popcorn Popping month. Or perhaps you'd rather eat country ham, maybe while enjoying some applejack. That should keep you warm on these chilly fall nights. For my vegetarian friends, this is your month! Enjoy the harvest! And showing that there's something for everyone, October is also National Pizza month and Cookie month. Ahhh, now we're talking! After all that indulgence, we need to take care of our health. We all know October is Breast Cancer awareness month. It is also Diabetes awareness month. In my family, diabetes has affected more of us than breast cancer has. I guess we've been lucky in that way. October is also Lupus awareness month. Finally, October is Domestic Violence awareness month. That's one that is fairly close to me. If you are in a violent relationship, get out! Remember, abuse takes all forms: mental, emotional, and physical. Abuse is never ok. October is Computer Learning Month. You might want to use your computer to check out the benefits of adopting a shelter dog, as October is Adopt a Shelter Dog month (although, if you rescued a cat that would be ok!). Remember to take time to appreciate your Pharmacist and Clergy person this month. And while October is Sarcasm Month, you might want to curb the sarcasm when talking to your Clergy person. As if having their own month isn't enough, October 1 was World Vegetarian Day. I am not a vegetarian. I've never tried to do a vegetarian diet. I'm too much of a meat and potatoes girl. But for my friends who are vegetarians, I hope you enjoyed a very tasty treat on this day!